


Home is Where the Heart is

by Arufa_DaAren



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alura Knows All, Alura Ships SuperCorp, F/F, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I'm Bad At Tagging, J'onn is a Dick, Jess ships SuperCorp, Kinda Soulmate-y, Winn ships Supercorp, eventually, it'll get there, lena is a nerd, oblivious lesbians, relatively slow burn, there will be smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2019-06-05 03:51:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15161969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arufa_DaAren/pseuds/Arufa_DaAren
Summary: Lex has escaped, and Supergirl isn't around to stop him. How far will the youngest Luthor go to protect her best friend?





	1. Preface

He had escaped

Back in the world and already causing an uproar, Lex Luthor had escaped his max-security cell, and disappeared; in the wind to plan his next move.

His next move, involved – disturbingly – hacking the DEO, an undiscovered mole within L-Corp, and the plans for technology which should have been destroyed. The blue-prints for the trans-matter portal were _meant_ to have been burned, every copy incinerated to avoid further incidents.

But Lena thought she’d unseated them all, removed all of Lex’s foxes from the hen-house; and so trusted the man to do the job. She had been wrong, and proven so when she’d heard a whispered conversation while walking past the R & D lab. Her stomach lurched painfully, as she listened to the hushed words; plans for materials, _her materials_ , to be transported later that same night.

Her blood ran cold, when the rat mentioned Argo City.

While her friendship with Kara had been tenuous toward the end, she still cared deeply for the blonde, and had herself hacked the DEO to find out as much about Argo as she could. She wanted to know everything about the place, wanted to know that Kara would be safe, happy. Until Lex escaped, and discovered Argo for himself, the Kryptonian city had been deemed sufficiently safe by the Luthor heiress. Now, not so much.

She went to the DEO, tried to talk sense to J’onn, to Alex, but her standing among the Super Friends had fallen since Kara’s departure; they shunned her, in favor of trying to catch Lex before anything bad happened

She knew they’d fail.

Weeks past, and Lena’s work fell by the wayside as she tirelessly searched for hints to her brother’s whereabouts. The trans-matter portal had taken only 2 months to be ready for use when she herself had built it; with Lex’s team of lackeys, it would likely take far less time. Luckily, she knew the sort of signatures the device would give-off, knew what to look for where the DEO would be clueless.

She found it, with only hours to spare.

It was how she found herself in an air-vent, encumbered with enough C4 to level the large warehouse she was currently shimmying through the AC vents of. The DEO had refused her help, but they were going to get it, regardless. And even if she had to kill her own brother, she’d take out as much of CADMUS as she could while she did.

The room where the large portal was being kept held a gloating Lex when she found it. He was laughing beneath the visor of his mech-suit; clapping his hand on the back of one of his men, as he promised they would destroy the last piece of Superman’s home. Lena felt ill just listening to him.

As the monster’s laughter died down, he dispersed his men with a promise of tomorrow bringing war upon the last fragment of Krypton; and with a final pride-filled glance, closed the doors behind him.

She would never get another chance at this, would never get another opportunity to put a stop to his madness; with that in mind, she carefully maneuvered out of the vent, and climbed down the shelving she’d been above.

Working quickly, she set the charges, glancing over her shoulder on occasion to avoid being caught. She breathed a sigh of relief, as the last charge was set, without any disturbance. Looking over the portal, she took a deep breath, as she initiated the countdown sequence; just as Lex made his entrance.

Fear was always a big part of Lena’s life. The near-constant death threats and assassination attempts made sure of that. But nothing quite compared to the twisted and crazed rage her brother’s face wore in the moment he fully comprehended what she was doing.

He managed to grab her, before she could escape, his mech-suit crushing her ribs with ease, before he flung her across the room; a sickening ‘crunch’ sound signaling an injury to her leg, as it hit the ground awkwardly. She was in pain, without a doubt, but the adrenaline was coursing through her body at a rate that kept it dull. He caught her again, her left arm being yanked painfully out of its socket as he pulled her from the ground forcefully.

He was saying something, as he shook her by the dislocated limb, but her pain was reaching a level where the adrenaline did little to abate it, so she simply smiled toothily, hoping to anger him enough to throw her again. As long as it got her closer to an exit, she would bare the pain. It worked, as she flew towards the portal and rolled across the floor. A quick glance up showed 6 seconds left until it blew, and she knew she had no other choice if she wanted to survive

She turned back to Lex, grinning once more at the maniac, and jumped through the portal


	2. Argo City

Even from a distance, Argo City was a sight to behold. At least, she was pretty sure it was a sight to behold; the pain all over her _everything_ made her vision blurry, and so she could only just make out the lines and colours of the futuristic city. She assumed it was rather pretty to look at.

Wherever she’d landed, it was going to be a rather painful journey to any form of civilization. All she knew at this point, was that she was far enough away to be within the large dome over the city, but not within the city limits. At least the people would’ve had some time to prepare themselves for the incoming CADMUS troops, if anyone happened to spot them on the horizon.

She gingerly raised herself from the kneeling position she’d been in, and began her trek to the city

* * *

 Upon reaching the city limits, Lena was amazed that she was still standing. The pain in her clearly injured leg was excruciating, and her breathing was heavily labored beneath her – suspected – broken ribs. Her left arm throbbed incessantly as she held it to her chest, and she only realized the very second someone came to her aid, that she had absolutely no knowledge of Kryptonese.

Assuming that eventually, _someone_ would know who she was talking about, she uttered the only thing she could think of

“Kara Zor-El” The woman appeared perplexed for a moment, before gesturing that Lena wait – canted against a wall somewhere on the edge of the city – while she darted off in the opposite direction. Lena sighed, as she repositioned her weight to rest entirely on her uninjured leg.

She sighed again a considerable amount of time later, when the woman hadn’t returned.

She was just beginning to move off of her designated wall, when a different woman rounded the corner in front of her, followed shortly by two particularly large and heavily armoured men. Lena’s hear sank. She didn’t know the language, couldn’t talk her way out of trouble, could only wait and hope that she wasn’t about to be thrown into a cell to rot her last days away.

The woman seemed concerned, though; approaching Lena like she was nearing an injured animal. Hoping that she could get by only the only Kryptonese she _did_ know, she dropped Kara’s full-name again, watching as recognition dawned on the regal looking woman. With a small, cautious smile, the newcomer raised a hand to her chest, and spoke

“Alura Zor-El” Lena felt her whole body relax at the name. While she didn’t quite know this woman’s relation to Kara, she was definitely someone who knew where to find the blonde. And that alone brought a tear to her eye. When Alura rested her hand gently on Lena’s chest, the CEO knew exactly what was required of her

“Lena Luthor” once again, Alura’s eyes lit with recognition, and she quickly gestured to the two guards behind her. Lena flinched when they stepped up to her, but with raised hands from the men, and an encouraging smile from Alura, she found herself calming once again.

Carefully, the two men stepped to either side of her, each placing a hand on her shoulder blades, the remaining hands finding the back of her thighs, and lifted her as gently as they were able. She saw the look of worry on Alura’s face when she still screamed in agony, despite the careful way the men raised her up.

She could practically feel the irony of it; the race her brother was trying to destroy, showing more concern for her than any human ever has.

* * *

 The trip into the heart of the city felt a lot longer than it probably was. Lena attributed that to the fact that she was in a considerable amount of pain. With no choice but to wait and see what happened next, she had tried to relax as much as possible, hoping it might take the edge off of her various aches. It did not. And so, as her swollen leg swung haphazardly over the arms of the guardsmen, she resigned herself to aching all over.

When they reached a building – a futuristic _castle_ , Lena’s mind provided – and trudged inside, Lena assumed she’d be plopped into the nearest seat, and left alone while someone went to get Kara. She was surprised when they continued through the halls, and she was laid out on what looked like a regular gurney.

Alura spoke quickly to the guardsmen once they’d propped Lena up on the table, and the CEO breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Kara’s name, and saw the guards nod before leaving. Another man entered the room, shortly after the guards had left, and after Alura had a few words with him, he set about looking Lena over.

She decided quickly that she would have to find a way to ask permission to pull everything apart and look inside

The doctor(?) only needed to raise a hand to produce – what appeared to be – an x-ray device, which scanned the CEO and provided results in real-time. A closer look revealed that the man had in fact triggered some kind of watch-like device, which projected the screen over her body.

Lena was fascinated, and only realized she was leaning in and reaching for the device when Alura rested a hand on her shoulder, a small chuckle and accompanying head shake told Lena now was not the time to investigate. She sat back with a small pout, Alura’s amused smile lingering in her periphery.

The pain was excruciating, but had dulled now that she was still enough to stop the joints moving. It was only when the doctor(?) began manipulating her dislocated shoulder, that she felt it come back in full-force, and had no choice but to scream.

Alura was at her side within a heartbeat, and held the younger woman’s hand within her own. She was saying something, and while Lena had no idea what it was, the tone was soothing, and kept her grounded through the relocation of her shoulder. The leg injury wasn’t quite so bad, Lena assuming it was more a sprain than anything.

It was the ribs that got her.

Between Alura and the doctor(?) she was wordlessly guided to sit up as much as possible, a large swath of material wrapped around her midsection once she was fully upright. The look in Alura’s eyes, coupled with the gentle squeeze of her hand said that this was going to _hurt._ But she was nowhere near prepared for the pain that followed

She felt it softly at first; the material around her chest slowly squeezing. It was followed by what felt like a dozen or-so pin-pricks, directly above the areas that hurt the most. A burning sensation began beneath her skin, and only increased in intensity as time wore on. Within moments, she was writhing, screaming again as the pressure and the burning became unbearable. Alura stayed with her throughout, enduring the weight of Lena’s squeezing hands as the CEO bore through the pain.

Eventually, it ebbed away, leaving Lena feeling queasy and light-headed. She breathed heavily, her ribs seemingly healed as they no longer protested against the inflation of her lungs. Alura’s fingers brushed sweat-matted hair aside, whispering Kryptonese words that Lena just _knew_ were meant to soothe and relax. It was in the midst of that that she heard her name, whispered like a prayer on the wind

“ _Lena_ ” She managed a lop-sided smile to the shocked blonde in the doorway, before she was overwhelmed by her light-headedness, and fell unconscious


	3. Kara

Somehow she knew, when she woke up, that she hadn’t been out for long. Alura still held her gently against her chest, and Kara was still lingering in the doorway; eyes and mouth hanging open in awe. She pushed herself away from Alura’s chest, nodding when the elder raised a questioning eyebrow.

Seemingly convinced of the younger woman’s readiness, she sauntered over to Kara, resting a hand on her shoulder as she whispered something to the dumbfounded blonde. Kara for her part, managed to nod once, before she was moving quickly to Lena’s side.

Kara’s hands hovered above Lena’s shoulders, and the CEO winced slightly at the thought of just how disjointed their relationship had become, after the blonde revealed her secret. Reaching for Kara, she couldn’t help but feel guilty when relief washed over the Kryptonian’s features, and she melted into the brunette’s embrace.

“What are you doing here? What happened? Are you ok?...” Lena managed to cut the former-reporter off before she rambled too much, and she couldn’t help but chuckle. Kara was still Kara, after all. It was a revelation which made her heart clench. Kara was still Kara, and always would be. She sighed

“Lex escaped prison. Managed to hack the DEO, discovered Argo. What’s worse, it turns out he had a mole at L-Corp, who gave him the blue-prints for the trans-matter portal. He was going to come here, destroy your city. I had to stop him” Kara tensed at that.

“ _You_ had to stop him? Lena, tell me what happened”

“I went to the DEO, but J’onn refused to listen. I even told him I could track Lex using the signatures the portal gives off. He turned me away. Went so far as to tell me he had ‘better things to do’.” She huffed, and Kara seemed to visibly fume

“He did what? What could possibly be better than stopping Lex Luthor destroying an entire race?!” Her fingertips dig a little deeper into Lena’s shoulders.

“He was convinced he could get to Lex first. And if it were any other criminal in the world, I’d have agreed, and left him to it. But this is _Lex_. I know my brother, he’s not stupid enough to just wander back into an old hide-out, or parade around like a celebrity. He would have been planning since he figured out a way to successfully escape.

On top of that, he came to National City, not Metropolis. His aim this time wasn’t to go straight after Superman, it was to get to _you_. Make Superman hurt by taking away his family. Only way he could get to Lois Lane, is by going through Superman, first. He’s not that dumb. He was going to come here. Lay waste to the last remaining piece of Krypton, then rub it in Superman’s face.” Kara asked her next question through gritted teeth

“Lena, how did you end up so badly injured?”

“The DEO wouldn’t help, so I tracked him myself. Managed to find him only hours before he’d planned to attack Argo. The portal was ready, he was just going to rest his troops before they made a move. I took explosives with me, snuck through the air vents and got in unnoticed. I’d just finished setting the last charge when he came in…”

“ _He_ did that to you?” The sudden calm that seemed to wash over the blonde was terrifying. Lena could see the unadulterated rage boiling beneath the deep blue of her eyes, and if it were anyone else standing in front of her, she’d likely shy away.

But this was _Kara_. Sweet, protective, loving Kara.

So she rested her hand against the side of the blonde’s face, and waited for the gentle stroke of her thumb across her cheekbone to calm the woman. It took 3 seconds for the Kryptonian to lean into the comfort, and breathe her anger out across the swell of Lena’s palm. It was only then that Lena answered

“Yes. He caught me, threw me around a bit. When I was close enough to the portal, I just jumped. There’s nothing to say that he survived the explosion, or that he was captured; so we’ll need to find a way to contact the DEO. If he’s still out there, he’ll try again. This isn’t over yet.” Kara nodded, as she gently nosed at Lena’s palm.

Even though everything going on was tense, there were other issues that needed to be addressed. And while she had no intention of making the situation any more difficult, Lena felt it would be easier to work together against her brother, if they cleared the air

“Kara” the blonde glanced up at her through long lashes, a hum signaling that Lena could continue

“I want to apologize…no, let me speak” Kara, closed her mouth as the protests on her tongue died out

“I treated you terribly, for a while there. And regardless of anything else, I really had no right to. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still angry at you for lying to me; but that doesn’t mean I have the right to treat you poorly. More than anything, I think I’m most hurt about James’ part in all of this…”

“Which I had nothing to do with! I know you have a lot to say, but just let me say this. James took it upon himself to use you like that. And believe me when I tell you, I’ve had more than a few stern words with him about it. I would’ve hit him, but he probably wouldn’t have survived it. I really wanted to, though” she trailed off, as she glared at a spot just behind Lena’s head, before turning back to the brunette with a sigh

“Look, Lena, I would never do that to you. I think you know that, deep down. You mean far too much to me to hurt you like that. I know it’s not much, but James has been personally informed that no matter where I am in the universe, if he so much as thinks about contacting you, I’m gonna drop a truck on him. So he knows he screwed up.

Like I said, I know it’s not much, but it’s the least I could do, to let him know I didn’t support his actions in any way. I even used the f-word, Lena. Alex shot beer out of her nose when she heard it.” At that, they both giggled. Lena sighed as the giggles died out, and she reached for Kara’s hand, a small piece of contact she’d been missing since before the blonde left.

“I know. I know you wouldn’t do that. But at the time, it felt like the few people I’d let into my circle, the handful of people I was beginning to trust; just hurt me like everyone else. And you were a part of that circle. I think my anger about the situation caused me to be a bit irrational. And I mistreated you as a result. That’s no excuse, and it certainly doesn’t justify my reaction to you being Supergirl, but it is the easiest way to explain it to you.” Kara nodded, cautiously smiling as she whispered her response

“I think, maybe we’re both at fault here. Me for lying to you about Supergirl, and not keeping a closer eye on James’ behavior; and you for maybe jumping the gun with the anger. But I’ll forgive you, if you can forgive me?” It was the simplest way to put it, and the easiest way to end the rift between them; and Lena couldn’t be more thankful for reporter’s ability to make so few words, so very meaningful. She nodded, and felt a tear streak her face as she pulled the blonde in for a hug.

Everything was going to be ok. She just knew it


	4. The Wonders of Kryptonian Tech

It took a few hours for Lena’s body to stop feeling so stiff from whatever it was the doctor had done to her. Kara explained that there were usually painkillers involved in such treatment; but that neither her mother, nor the doctor knew if they would work correctly with a human physiology. Not wanting to cause more issues, they went ahead without them.

Kara beamed with pride when she revealed that Alura had noted the brunette’s bravery in the doorway as she’d left. Lena blushed as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She’d still screamed and passed out, so in her opinion, she was maybe a little too sensitive to go without painkillers again. Kara had laughed at that, stating that she herself wouldn’t try it if you paid her, and that she thought Lena was, indeed, very brave. The brunette felt her cheeks couldn’t possibly get any redder

* * *

It was what Lena approximated as early evening when Alura returned, smiling happily at the pair as they sat shoulder-to-shoulder on the gurney. She offered Lena a place to stay while she was essentially stuck on Kryptonian soil; and held a knowing smirk in place when Lena declined in favor of staying with Kara instead. Kara stopped translating to squeal with delight when Lena asked her if that would be ok.

That was how she found herself lying next to her blonde friend –  as they had done a million times before – while the reddish glow of Rao descended behind the horizon. It was different now, though. Kara was a little more inclined to cuddle, a little more motivated to talk about herself; and Lena found herself enjoying every moment of it.

She found herself wrapped up in warm arms – Kara revealing that being power-less meant she felt more comfortable, knowing she wouldn’t accidentally hurt Lena – and listening to anecdotes about Kara’s life in Argo City, both pre and post Krypton’s destruction.

They fell asleep with the mutual agreement to make contact with the DEO as soon as they could figure out how to, and smiles on each of their faces.

* * *

Lena really wanted to pull everything apart. Just to look inside. Just to see how it all worked.

Kara – after spending a considerable amount of time gawking at her in the Kryptonian silk dress Alura had lent her – had taken her to the science guild, introduced her to the other members, and then – essentially – let her loose among the tech. She was glad the blonde had followed closely behind her, because she had approximately twelve trillion questions to ask, all of which Kara answered with an indulgent smile.

At one point, Lena turned and simply scowled at the former hero, before smacking her soundly on the arm and berating her mildly for not revealing her intellect sooner. Kara chuckled through an apology, explaining that it was easier to go unnoticed when there was nothing special about you. She had blushed a deep red when Lena vehemently stated that _everything_ was special about her.

It was late afternoon by the time Lena finally wore herself out. She deposited herself in the nearest chair with a happy sigh, and gazed at Kara with a toothy grin

“There are so many amazing things here. I want them all” she giggled, as Kara pulled another chair over to sit beside her. She seemed downcast, as she answered

“I’m sure you’ll be able to replicate most of it, back on Earth” it was in that moment, that Lena realized two things. Firstly, Kara didn’t want her to leave. And secondly, despite having only been there for two days, she couldn’t say she wanted to leave, either. Knowing that finding a way back was going to take time, regardless of what state Lex Luthor and his plans were in, she decided to push through it, opting to think about it later…

But Argo city was already working its way under her skin. Even the smell of the place was lovely. The way the sunlight cast a reddish hue across the buildings, the way everyone smiled at her. She was already in love with the place. And maybe staying had already crossed her mind a half-dozen that day. She’d think about it later. For now, Kara was down, and that just wouldn’t do

“Maybe if I had your super-brain, I could. But I must admit, some of this stuff goes way over my head.” Kara chuckled as she smiled back at her

“You’d figure it out. You’re Lena Luthor, you’ve already got a super-brain. A super-brain which is going to help me find a way to contact Earth, and the DEO” Lena grinned and nodded. It was time to get to work

* * *

It took three days for the two of them to design a satellite with the capability of making contact with Earth. Calibrating and repositioning it to the very precise point it needed to be at to fulfil its purpose, took another day.

Calming Kara to a point of not wanting to punch J’onn through the screen, took several hours

But eventually, they were ready. Kara standing in front of the camera, Lena fiddling with a pet project off to the side (they’d agreed to keep Lena’s survival quiet, in case Lex was still on the prowl. They both knew it would make him work even harder to get to Argo City, if he knew she’d survived). Now they just had to wait for Kara to open the line. She took a deep breath and pressed what was essentially the call button.

The DEO was awash with confusion, when Kara Zor-El suddenly appeared on the large screen in the middle of the hub. Lena stifled her giggle as best she could as she turned back to the small device she was tinkering with.

“Does anyone want to explain to me, _exactly_ what’s going on down there?” Kara asked, voice firm and commanding. She raised her eyebrow slightly as she saw Lena shudder in her periphery

“Uh, Kara, hi.” Alex began, clearly stuck between being excited to see her sister, and being completely at a loss as to what she could actually say. Kara didn’t budge, though

“Again, does anyone want to explain to me, what is happening down there?” Alex flinched on the screen, and heaved out a sigh before continuing

“Lex Luthor escaped. We’d been trying to find him, but we weren’t getting anywhere. We finally caught him, about a week ago. There was an explosion at his hideout. Kara…he mentioned Lena. Said we shouldn’t send his sister to do our work. We…uh…we never found her, Kara. I’m so sorry” Alex seemed to sniffle, as she delivered the news. Kara herself seemed struck by it, despite Lena sitting only three feet away from her. She gathered herself enough to ask

“So, he’s been captured? Security around him increased?” Alex nodded, although she seemed perplexed that her adoptive sister seemed relatively unfazed by the revelation. With a sigh of relief, Kara smiled over to Lena, jerking her head to gesture she reveal herself. Smiling back, the brunette gracefully raised herself from her chair, and glided over to the blonde’s side

(Kara had watched her with hawk eyes the whole time, seemingly enjoying the sight of her family crest on Lena’s chest)

“I’m fine, by the way” she smiled at the camera, waving a little as Kara chuckled at her side. The DEO seemed to grind to a halt, then; as they all gawked at Lena. She _felt_ Kara slip into the confident role better attributed to Supergirl

“And J’onn? If ever Lena comes to you with information, anything that can help you, you most definitely do _not_ have ‘something better to do’. You’re Lucky she’s here to stop me from flying all the way back there just to kick your ass” she seethed, again noticing a slight shiver grip Lena’s frame.

The entirety of the DEO turned to look at J’onn, and the last thing Lena sees before the screen goes black, is Alex winding up for what she assumes is gonna be one hell of a verbal beat-down. Kara snickered

“He’s in so much trouble! Alex’s face just then, that’s the face she makes when she’s giving Supergirl a verbal beating. Oooh I shoulda kept it on so we could watch!” she pouts, and Lena finds herself giggling at her best friend’s antics.

* * *

Later that day, Kara is required to attend a meeting with the science guild, leaving Lena alone to wander around what she’s affectionately named ‘El Manor’ all by herself. She’s still in awe of the place, and even with only a week’s worth of time here, she can say for certain that she’s seriously considering staying. If Alura is ok with that.

It’s in searching for said woman, that she stumbles upon a huge piece of technology. It takes up an entire wall, in a room that appears to be nothing short of completely sterile. Intrigued, she survey’s the monstrous device.

All switches and dials – and all in Kryptonese – she finds the only thing she really comprehends about it, is that there’s a small indent that’s shaped perfectly to fit a finger. Always eager to experiment (dangerously so, she knows) she slots her finger into the spot.

There’s a slight sting, as her finger is prodded with a needle. Followed by a blue light scanning her from head-to-toe and back again. A small, previously unnoticed screen in front of her appears to cycle through a few characters, before finally settling on what it deems is the correct outcome

Interestingly, it’s the only thing that reads in English

**Kara Zor-El**

Perplexed, she tilts her head, and slots a different finger into the indent. Another prick, another blue-light scan, and the screen whirls through a few characters before reaching the exact same outcome

**Kara Zor-El**

“Must be broken” she muses out loud, as the door to the room opens to reveal Alura. Forgetting the seemingly broken device, she turns to Alura with a smile, raising a finger to request she wait a moment, as she slots her newest pet-project into her ear. Readjusting the microphone to the most comfortable position, she tests it out.

Alura’s face lights up with glee, as the English words Lena had spoken, come out in perfect Kryptonese. She tentatively asks if it works in reverse, and is thrilled when Lena responds with a broad smile.

They spend nearly an hour testing the device. Alura used the most complex words and phrases in the language. Lena explained her use of the databases in the science guild to provide the Kryptonese, as well as the translations, before they finally deemed it complete; and the elder asks what Lena was doing before she came in.

“Well, I was trying to figure out what this thing does, but I think it’s broken” she grimaces. Alura tilts her head, as she considers the tech in question.

“What do you mean, ‘broken’?”

“Well, when I put my finger in the slot thing, it does everything I assume it’s _meant_ to do, but it comes up with the wrong outcome. Here, look” Using a not-recently-already-stabbed-by-the-machine finger, she demonstrates her point.

Prick, blue-light, calculation, Kara.

But as she turns back to Alura, she’s met with confusion. Realizing quickly that the elder wouldn’t be able to read the language, she reveals that Kara’s name is displayed. Alura’s smile is wide, and her eyes are teary. Confused, she spends a moment glancing back and forth between the device and Alura, before she’s enveloped in a hug.

“You’re finally here” Alura breathes out, as she releases an increasingly perplexed Lena

“Sorry, I have no idea what’s going on right now?” Alura seems to remember that an explanation is required, and begins hastily

“Many, many years ago, we discovered a way to accurately determine a person’s partner, the one that fits with them on every level from mental to sexual. When it tests your blood, it is looking for DNA markers, things that people tend to look for when procreating. When it scans you, it checks your body type, physical health, and mental health. It would have found that you cannot read Kryptonese, and adjusted accordingly, as well. It's a wondrous piece of technology”

“So, it tells you who you should mate with?”

“Sort of. It essentially finds the person that best fits with what you would subconsciously seek out in accordance with your primal genetics. Just like most animals, people – humans and Kryptonians alike, it would seem – seek out certain things in a mate. The right smell, the right eye colour, the right body type, intellect, etcetera. This machine, just takes out the footwork.”

“And, it’s paired me with Kara?” Alura nods vehemently at that.

“Yes, and I’m so excited! Kara has always received a null entry. From when she was a child, to when she returned. She doesn’t talk about it, but it devastates her; imagine feeling like there was no one special for you” she broke off into a sad smile. Lena knew that feeling. Had known it practically her whole life.

And while she didn’t believe in fate, or soulmates, she _did_ believe in science. She knew that humans often sought out what fit best with them on a genetic level, even if it was completely unconscious. That knowledge was probably the only thing keeping her from freaking out, right now.

And it did explain the immediate pull she’d always had towards Kara. How she’d never enjoyed cuddles, until she met Kara. How no one smelled as good as Kara. No one’s eyes were as bewitching as Kara’s…

It hit her like a meteor; Kara was the special one for her.

A concerned hand came to her cheek, and she realized belatedly that Alura was wiping away a tear

“Does that upset you, Lena?” she asked cautiously, and Lena couldn’t help but laugh.

“No, no it doesn’t. I just…I think I knew, but didn’t. Y’know?” Alura smiled, as she nodded and took Lena back into her arms. They stayed like that for a moment; Lena enjoying the comfort, Alura explaining that while the device had paired them, neither she nor Kara needed to act on anything if they chose not to.

While Lena was surprisingly very comfortable with the idea of pursuing something more with Kara, she was equally happy that it wasn’t necessary. The pressure would have made the situation feel forced, and she would hate that in a million different ways. The only thing she needed to worry about now, was wrapping her head around the situation.

And telling Kara.

With her always impeccable timing, said Kryptonian entered the room, practically flying to Lena’s side as she spotted red, teary eyes.

“Lena, what happened? Is everything ok?” Lena giggled, as the concerned blonde checked her over.

“Everything’s fine, Kara. Although, I do need you to do something for me.” Kara nodded emphatically

“Anything you need, Lee. What can I do?” Lena could see Alura’s knowing smirk over Kara’s shoulder

“Show me how this works” she gestured to the machine, a soft pout already on her lips for if Kara refused. She wasn’t good at talking about her feelings, but this way, she can _show_ Kara. As long as she agrees. With a particularly deep breath, Kara stepped forward, and readied herself

“Just so you know, this never usually works for me. But I’ll explain what it’s _meant_ to do, if you’d like?” she looked over her shoulder, as Lena rested a hand on her back

“Just try for me, please?” Kara had never been able to resist even the slightest pout from Lena, and as such nodded solemnly as she aligned her finger to the slot. Lena and Alura waited with bated breath, excited to see if Kara finally got her match.

Prick.

Blue-light.

Calculation.

**Lena Luthor**

Kara stopped breathing, as Alura smiled widely beside her

“What does it say, Kara? I can’t read Kryptonese” Lena nudged, already knowing the answer, even if she couldn’t read it

“I…it…uh…” Kara answered with all the coherency of a broken vase, as she aligned a different finger. Receiving the same result – even after trying with _all_ of her fingers, one-by-one – Kara finally raised her eyes from the small screen, and gazed directly at Lena. Tears streamed down her face, as she broke into the widest grin Lena had ever seen on her

“You. It says you” she laughed wetly, as Lena began wiping tears away. Just to be certain, she repeated Alura’s earlier question

“Does that upset you, Kara?” the blonde shook her head, as she sobbed out another giggle.

“No, not at all. It makes me happy. Even if you don’t wanna do anything about it, it makes me _so_ happy. Because I can’t think of anyone in the universe that I’d rather be paired with” Lena was glad that Alura had slipped out after the sixth time Kara tested the machine, because there’s no way she could resist kissing Kara after that sweet little confession.

So she did. Starting off sweet and chaste, she found herself melting into Kara, her body molding perfectly into the blonde’s, as their kiss became a little deeper, a little hotter. She could feel Kara’s hands at her back, gently urging her closer and closer. After a few moments, they seemed to wordlessly agree that they needed to breathe

“Rao, I didn’t even know I wanted to kiss you, until I was kissing you. Now I don’t really wanna stop” Lena giggled at the blonde’s dreamy tone, as she pushed up onto her tiptoes to drop a kiss to the tip of her nose.

“Me neither, if I’m honest.” She agreed, as Kara returned the nose-kissing favor.

Their lips met again, deeper and more urgent, as the full force of their true feelings for each other crashed down on them in a wave of sheer bliss


End file.
